The International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadom has a major achievement, with MV Newyorker, the first of Maersk Line FW1 Direct Main Line Service sailing into ICTT on Tuesday. DP World pointed out that berthing of MV Newyorker underlines that ICTT is becoming a sought-after port in the country for foreign shipping lines. The vessel carries raw cashews from West African ports like Bissau and Abidjan to Cochin. Newyorker berthed at ICTT at around 8.20 am on Tuesday.
Maersk Line has planned five vessels in the service. Of this, the first vessel called at ICTT on Tuesday. The vessel carries 1185 TEU to Kochi and has transshipment volumes to Tuticorin and Mangalore. The service has commenced primarily to cater to the growing raw cashew imports from Africa. There is a major inflow of raw cashews to the processing units in Kollam and other parts of Southern India and this service will play a pivotal role for the trade.
“There are many geographical advantages of Kochi. The port is well connected by rail, road and sea, it has state of the art equipment and infrastructure and is non-tidal”, pointed out K K Krishnadas, CEO, DP World Kochi. The ICTT recently increased its draft to 14 metres, which will increase its capacity to handle large mainline vessels.